


Holiday Traditions

by Candyjar



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Hannor, M/M, hankcon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-17 09:24:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15458259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candyjar/pseuds/Candyjar
Summary: Connor is ALIVE and perfectly capable of participating in human traditions!! Like MISTLETOE





	1. Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> i dont know....why i wrote this (psyche i know why. it's bc i'm hyperfixating and i wanted 2)  
> i have a new years one done too but i'm gonna edit it up first  
> other chapters shouldn't be nearly as short as this one, i coulda merged it w/ the new years chapter but i wanted to separate by holiday x0

"Really? Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?" Hank grumbled, vaguely gesturing to the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. "It's a fuckin' DPD party. Pretty sure this dumb shit isn't allowed in the workplace."  
  
"We're off work hours and it's a party. Besides, you should be thanking me," Gavin said with a sick grin. "Now you have an excuse to get your little plastic pet to makeout with you."  
  
Hank rolled his eyes, not bothering to reply. He took a sip of his eggnog before putting it back down, scratching his belly through the ugly christmas sweater Connor had bought for him.  
  
"Speaking of." Gavin muttered into his cup, leaning against the desk beside him.  
  
Hank glanced up to see Connor walking toward them, matching ugly sweater donned and cradling an armful of case files.  
  
"Lieutenant, I was looking over--"  
  
Hank sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Christ, Con. It's a party, put the files away for now. Why were even looking at 'em?"  
  
Connor blinked and tilted his head. "But--"  
  
Hank crossed his arms, feigning annoyance despite the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "You're the one who wanted to come to this stupid thing. Loosen up a little."  
  
Connor looked down at the files in his arms, hesitating a little as he thought this over. He sighed and nodded, moving to place them on his desk. Gavin stopped him with an arm.  
  
"Hold up, plastic. Don't you know anything about human traditions?" Gavin asked, his smile mischievous.  
  
Connor nodded. "Of course. I was built to blend in, meaning I have an array of--"  
  
"Okay, so look up, dipshit."  
  
Connor blinked and did so, noticing the mistletoe hung from the ceiling. A notice popped up in his vision about its traditional use. He looked at Gavin.  
  
"Detective Reed," Connor said slowly, arching a brow. "I'm surprised you'd want to kiss me. I'm sorry to inform you that I'd rather self-destruct right here and now."  
  
Gavin sputtered and Hank burst into laughter. "Not me, you dumb fuckin' asshole! I'm not even under it!"  
  
Connor scanned his surroundings. Gavin was right. Although he was close to the mistletoe, he was off slightly to the left. Hank, however, was under it nearly directly, with Connor right beside him.  
  
"Ah. I see. Here, hold these, then." Connor said, handing his files to Gavin.  
  
Gavin dropped them on the floor as Connor stepped closer to Hank, who abruptly stopped laughing as he realized what was happening. His eyes widened, face red. He held his hands up defensively.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, this isn't necessary, Con," Hank choked. "It's just a fuckin' plant, it doesn't mean anything."  
  
"Plants are often assigned meanings, actually. At any rate, I am perfectly capable of taking part in human traditions, Hank." Connor said firmly, acting like not participating would be an affront to his personhood.  
  
"That isn't what I'm saying, I'm just--"  
  
"Yeah, if he wants to act like he's human who are you to stop him, _Hank?_ Weren't you on their side?" Gavin grinned.  
  
Hank glared. "Shut up, he doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. It's a stupid fuckin' tradition."  
  
"With all due respect, Hank," Connor muttered, moving in closer. "I can do this."  
  
"I--"  
  
Connor grabbed a handful of Hank's gaudy sweater and pulled him down, pressing a kiss to the lieutenant's lips. Hank felt a jolt of heat surge through him, leaning into the kiss just a little. Connor was soft.  
  
Connor pulled back, smiling. "See? Easy. I did it just fine."  
  
With that, he gathered up the files on the floor, knocked Gavin's drink out of his hand, and walked away to put the files on his desk. Gavin cursed at Connor, scowling as he cleaned himself up. Hank, meanwhile, stood in shock, face positively _scarlet_ and chest tight.  
  
"Don't say I never did anything for you, dumbass." Gavin said with a laugh as he got himself another drink.  
  
Hank knocked the drink out of his hand.


	2. New Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NEW YEARS EVE

Hank was pleasantly buzzed, enjoying himself even though he wasn't nearly as drunk as he wanted to be. Connor had given him a drink limit, and as much as he wanted to tell him to fuck off, Hank couldn't. He had a soft spot for the android, and he knew he just wanted him to be healthier. That was part of living with him, and while it could be a drag, it was nice having someone care so much about him.  
  
Connor had dragged him to yet another station-wide holiday party to celebrate the New Year, which was something Hank hadn't given a single shit about for a long time. He begrudgingly agreed to go, however, upon seeing Connor's pleading expression.  
  
Fuckin' puppy brown eyes. Hank had a weakness for them.  
  
Hank left a bit of booze in his glass to save for after the countdown, since this was the last drink he was allowed to have during the party. He stood around, talking idly with Chris and Ben, swirling the booze in his cup and wishing he could just down it and grab another. He hadn't seen Connor in a little while, actually. Theoretically, he could sneak an extra drink in, since the android was nowhere to be seen, but... he doubted it would work. The hyperaware deviant would probably be able to tell from a quick scan, and then he'd get all disappointed and flash those sad doe eyes at him. Even if he didn't, Hank would know what he'd done, and something about even the thought of lying to Connor like that made his heart feel heavy.  
  
Connor finally reappeared a few minutes before the countdown, approaching Hank with a genuine smile that made something in Hank's stomach flutter. He ignored the feeling as always. Connor joined the conversation with ease, chuckling lightly at something Chris had said. Connor said something that made the other two men laugh, so Hank laughed along, but he hadn't actually heard what he'd said. He was too busy watching Connor to hear him, watching the lopsided, adorable smile stretch across his face as he spoke, the way his brown eyes shone in the light. When he realized this fact he averted his eyes, forcing himself to tune back into the conversation. He could feel his face heating up, but he ignored it and concentrated on a sick burn to slam Gavin as he came up in the conversation.  
  
A couple minutes later Ben and Chris nodded quick goodbyes to them to go join others for the countdown, and Connor looked toward the screen that was displaying it, LED flickering yellow for a brief moment.  
  
"So," Hank said. "You havin' a fun time?"  
  
Connor smiled at him. "Very! I had a nice discussion with Wilson. He's very kind, I quite like him."  
  
Hank felt the slightest bit of jealousy rush through him. Connor had become rather friendly with the officer, who he'd apparently saved during a hostage situation. Hank was happy he had other friends, but there was something about it that made him a little tense. He pushed it down and smiled back.  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
Connor looked up at him with a soft expression. "Thank you, Hank."  
  
Hank blinked. "For what?"  
  
"Coming along with me. I'm glad I got to come to this." Connor replied.  
  
Hank chuckled. "You coulda come without me, ya know."  
  
Connor's expression turned into something oddly serious. "I wouldn't have."  
  
Hank furrowed his brows, staring at him questioningly. "Why?  
  
Connor shrugged, looking away toward the screen again. A crowd was gathering around it as the countdown grew closer. He seemed a little uncomfortable, so Hank patted him on the shoulder.  
"Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you convinced me to come. Shitty drink limit aside," Hank snickered. "I've had a good time."  
  
He could see Connor's smile despite the android still looking away. Hank wouldn't admit it, but part of the reason he was having such a good time was because he got to watch Connor enjoy himself.  
  
"I'm glad." Connor replied.  
  
The countdown started about thirty seconds later, and Hank prepared to down his drink as soon as the new year hit. He glanced down at Connor, noting that the android seemed oddly tense about the countdown. He'd seemed fairly excited earlier, but now the android was stiff, his gaze on the screen unwavering. He was counting along aloud, but his voice was monotonous. Robotic.  
Hank slung an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him from whatever was going on in his head. He wasn't on the same side as Connor's LED, but he was sure it was a solid yellow, based on the android's body language. Connor stiffened at the contact but relaxed slightly as Hank loudly continued counting along.  
  
"Happy New Year!" The room chorused, and Hank dipped his head back and downed the rest of his drink.  
  
As soon as his glass was lowered, he was abruptly pulled downward, and something crashed against his lips. It was, surprisingly, another set of lips. Connor's, to be precise.  
  
Hank's eyes flew open as he registered Connor's hands at the sides of his head, his fingers sliding into his grey hair. Connor's tongue pressed at his lips, and Hank relaxed under his touch, eyes closing. He kissed back, bringing his free hand up to caress the back of Connor's neck. Hank sighed into his mouth as their tongues met, Connor's lips soft on his. It was over too fast for Hank's liking. Connor pulled away and Hank followed for a moment before remembering himself and their location. His eyes snapped open, looking straight into Connor's.  
  
Connor grinned, looking up at Hank through his eyelashes. Hank's heart was in his throat.  
  
"Happy New Year." Connor said softly.  
  
"Happy New Year." Hank choked out, his face hot and his heartbeat fast.  
  
Connor's grin widened, his eyes glinting as he turned away to make his way over to Wilson again, clapping the man on the back and talking to him animatedly as if he hadn't just deeply kissed his coworker and roommate in the middle of the party.  
  
Hank was a statue, clutching his empty glass with a grip so tight it was lucky the glass hadn't started to crack. He glanced around wildly after a moment and thankfully no one seemed to have even noticed. They'd all been too absorbed in their own celebration to see anything.  
  
Then he caught Gavin's gaze. Gavin was standing on the other side of the room, mouth agape and eyes cartoonishly wide. He looked around, gesturing with his hands as if to say, _Did no one else fucking see that?! Fucking **really?!?**_  
  
Hank looked away, training his eyes on the floor before glancing back up at Connor.  
  
What the _fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELP if i write more valentine's day'll be next and then if i continue it'll be like the Aftermath of that n' not so much other holidays


	3. Detective Gavin Reed: Ultimate Accidental Wingman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's valentine's gay

They hadn't spoken about it. Hank had decided half an hour later that it had been just like their mistletoe kiss: a human tradition that Connor had decided to partake in for some reason. Sure, it had felt oddly passionate for something like that, but Hank refused to think about it any more than he needed to. There was probably a logical explanation for that, though Hank couldn't really come up with any. Hell, maybe he had just been projecting his own passion onto Connor. Whatever it was, Hank didn't ask, and instead pushed it all to the back of his mind to rot with everything else. He'd ignore his feelings if it killed him.

Wasn't like he had any chance with Connor anyway.

Gavin, of course, had been an intolerable jackass since then. Well, moreso than usual, anyway. It wasn't much different from how he'd always behaved, but it was... _more._ More offhand comments about Hank's 'special DPD-issued fleshlight', more obnoxious vibrator allusions. Hank had to try real hard not to sock him in the face. He was on thin ice after the whole thing with Perkins months ago, if one could even call it ice. Maybe more like plasticwrap stretched over the surface of the water. Connor was good at making sure he didn't slip up, thankfully, and often took the job of sassing Gavin back before Hank could do something risky. He knew how to talk around Gavin's bullshit enough to shut him up or get out of it before it escalated too far. Thank God for that negotiation programming, Hank supposed.

What confused Hank the most was that he hadn't heard anything about the new year's kiss around the precinct, hadn't noticed any badly-hidden staring or whispers. That meant that he'd been right in assuming no one but Gavin had seen it, but it also meant that for some reason, Gavin hadn't told anyone. He'd fully expected it to have made rounds across the entire department by now. He thanked God that he hadn't, though he couldn't really wrap his head around the _why._

So he buried that with everything else. Wasn't like he was about to thank Gavin for it, and he felt uncomfortable thinking maybe he owed the bastard for it.

* * *

Hank was doing a fine job at the whole 'ignore your feelings' thing. Until February hit. He'd forgotten that Valentine's Day still mattered to some people.

Stores everywhere transmogrified into blaring reminders that Hank was hopelessly smitten, and it was making it hard to shove those feelings down. There were too many reminders everywhere, and he found himself slipping up more. More little touches here and there, sitting closer on the couch, fantasizing and remembering Connor's lips on his.

To combat all the slip ups, he tried to distance himself more. This led to behaviour that was incredibly confusing for Connor. He would be seeking Connor's body cuddled against his on the couch one minute, then sitting as far away from him as the couch would allow the next.

"Hank?"

Hank looked up from his food. Connor was watching him nervously from across the kitchen table, his LED yellow. Hank gestured for him to speak, since his mouth was full.

"Are you upset with me?"

Hank blinked, swallowing his food. "Nah, of course not. Why?"

"Your behaviour has been...hard to read, lately. Sometimes everything seems normal, and then it doesn't. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Hank said plainly.

Connor's LED cycled as he thought something over for a moment. "...Are you upset because Valentine's Day is approaching?"

"Why would I be?"

"After a brief search, I've found that many single people become bitter in regards to Valentine's Day. Are you upset because you're alone?" Connor asked bluntly.

Hank scoffed. "I'm not alone. I've got you."

He realized how it sounded the moment the words tumbled out of his mouth. Connor tilted his head, the corners of his mouth pulling up slightly.

"And uh," Hank coughed. "Sumo, too."

Connor seemed to accept this and nodded, though his small smile faded. "Why are you acting oddly then?"

Hank shrugged, taking another bite to avoid answering. Connor waited patiently for him to finish his mouthful before raising his eyebrows, expecting a real answer.

Hank took a long drink from his glass, wishing it was whiskey instead of iced tea.

Connor waited.

Hank sighed. "I'm just like this sometimes. Don't worry about it. It'll pass soon."

He just had to wait til after the fourteenth.

Connor frowned. "Is there anything I can do to make things better in the meantime?"

Hank looked at him and scratched the back of his neck. "Just. Don't ask me about it anymore, okay? That'll make it easier."

Connor didn't seem to like this and didn't respond, averting his gaze.

"So, uh," Hank gave him an uneasy smile. "Food's good."

* * *

Connor waited patiently for the coffee to finish brewing, LED swirling yellow as he thought some things over. Hank's behaviour lately had been worrisome, but Connor was going along with his insistence to not talk about it, despite desperately wanting to talk it through with him. He didn't want to make things worse, though. He couldn't make heads nor tails of Hank's interactions with him over the past month. Overtly more affectionate, yet at other times distant in a way that was familiar but not quite the same as his depression-induced isolation habits. All he really knew was that Hank was going through _something_ , and Connor wanted to help him as best as he could.

This, as usual, included making him coffee, though Hank insisted he didn't need to. But Connor liked doing it, liked knowing that he made it precisely the way Hank liked it.

He paused his thoughts when he heard someone else enter the break room -- brief analysis of the sound pattern concluded that it was Gavin.

"Hello, Detective Reed." Connor greeted without moving his gaze from the coffee maker.

"Shit, that's fucking creepy," Gavin muttered. "How do you always know it's me?"

Connor turned and opened his mouth to speak, but Gavin stopped him, holding a hand up and shaking his head. "Nope. Don't actually wanna know."

Connor shrugged and turned back to the coffee as the machine beeped, pouring some out into Hank's mug. Gavin leaned against the counter.

"So, Valentine's Day is coming up."

"I am aware."

"You doin' anything for it?"

Connor was caught off guard by how genuine and casual Gavin sounded, like he was actually interested.

His gaze flicked toward him for a moment, eyebrows raised, before looking back to the mug. "Why, Detective? Going to ask me out for dinner? I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

"Jesus Christ, you fuckin' asshole. No. Of course not, Jesus," Gavin groaned, contorting his face into a wildly exaggerated expression of disgust. "I meant, you gonna do anything with Hank?"

"Why would I? According to my database, Valentine's Day is most commonly celebrated between couples."

"And?"

"And Ha-- the Lieutenant and I are not a couple. Friends and colleagues, nothing more." Connor replied, stirring a precise amount of sugar into the coffee.

"Nothin' more? I saw you Smash Mouth that motherfucker at the New Years party, ya know. Didn't look very platonic to me. You telling me that's what colleagues do in your book?" Gavin snorted.

Connor's LED whirled yellow as he tried to process Gavin's words. He supposed, in a way, they had certainly smashed mouths, but he was not a fan of that wording. He filed it away in a collection of phrases he had designated as fun to use around Hank, to see his reactions. He'd hate this one for sure. Connor almost smiled, but stopped himself before Gavin could notice.

"You're not even going to deny it, huh." Gavin said.

"You-- I-- The Lieutenant and I--" Connor stuttered, practically slapping away the warning that cropped up in his vision about a spike in his internal temperature.

Gavin broke into laughter, and Connor could feel his temperature rise further. "Oh my God, dude. That bad, huh?"

Connor frowned and grabbed the mug, stepping to leave. Gavin reached out and stopped him. Connor could easily sidestep him, but he didn't want to risk spilling Hank's coffee, so he watched Gavin expectantly.

"Hold on, man. I was gonna say, you know what you should do?" Gavin said with a smirk. "Get him a card or something. Bet he'd love that. Draw some fuckin' hearts all over it and tell him how goo goo you are over him."

Connor's eyes narrowed. This was the tone Gavin used for teasing, absolutely. The idea, however, seemed...good? People did often exchange cards on Valentine's Day, and the romantic holiday should technically be a very fitting time for a confession. The more milliseconds he took up thinking it over, the more and more logical it seemed. There were only two factors that made him question it; the fact that Gavin was using it to tease him, and the fact that Hank may take it badly.

Regardless, he added an optional mission list in his sideview.

**> Make Hank a card.  
** **> Tell him how you feel.  
** **> KiSs??**

He blinked, fans inside of him whirring in a desperate attempt to cool himself down. "Thank you for the suggestion, Detective."

Gavin crossed his arms, smiling crookedly. "Mhm. Not a problem, ya plastic bitch. Good luck."

* * *

The fourteenth came too fast, and Hank was determined to ignore anything that made him feel anything at all. Ordinarily he turned to booze for help with that, but he was trying to be good. He didn't want to ruin Connor's day. Besides, this wasn't about anything important -- just a crush. No need to get that fuckin' dramatic about it, he told himself, when in reality he was already being pretty damn dramatic about it.

Hank sat in his desk at work, slumped over and staring at his screen intently, trying to ignore the urge to look up at Connor. He could see Connor's LED blinking yellow in the corner of his eye, in the desk across from his. The android stood and grabbed a bag he'd brought to work. Hank had questioned him about it this morning and he'd said it was 'important papers', refusing to go into further detail. Hank finally let himself look up as he watched Connor stiffly straighten his tie and walk toward the other desks.

Hank watched, stunned, as Connor started handing out valentines to the other officers. He couldn't help the smile stretching across his face, couldn't help the chuckling that bubbled out of him. It was...surreal, watching Connor nervously make his way to everyone's desks, handing them little cartoony, holographic cards with puppies on them like he was in elementary school. Connor had gotten friendlier with many of the officers in the precinct, but he didn't usually go out of his way to talk to anyone other than Chris or Wilson. Hank wouldn't have expected this in a million years. He didn't know where Connor had even gotten the idea, or if this was even technically...allowed? But the sight was something, that was for sure.

The other officers seemed surprised too, but took the cards from him happily, laughing and clapping Connor on the shoulder, giving him genuine smiles.

Then he got to Gavin. The detective had been watching with amusement as Connor flitted about the precinct, his laughs clearly teasing as opposed to everyone else's. He drew his eyebrows together in confusion though when the android stepped up to him next and handed him a card. Hank couldn't hear what Connor was saying to him, but he clearly urged Gavin to take the card. Gavin watched him and finally took it, his expression unreadable for a moment before he crumpled it in his hand and tossed it in the small trash can by his feet. Connor didn't seem phased, giving him a smile and saying something else before walking off to Fowler's office.

After a few minutes, Connor walked out, coming toward Hank, and Hank felt something like anxiety buzzing in his chest.

Connor passed by him and sat in his desk again, putting his bag down.

Hank blinked.

He'd gotten everyone a card. Even Gavin.

But not Hank?

He glanced up at him. He felt stupid for how upset he felt over it. This wasn't elementary school. He was over fifty. He shouldn't be upset about something like this, Christ. Connor made eye contact with him, gave him a little smile, and got back to work.

Hank looked back at his screen and pretended he, too, was still intently working, when really he couldn't stop wondering why.

When it was finally around time for his break, Hank stepped out without Connor, telling him to stay behind. He drove around aimlessly for a while instead of getting food, his heavy metal playing so loudly it almost hurt his ears. He was trying hard to ignore the tension in his shoulders, trying hard not to get angry. After some time of driving, he pulled into a random parking lot to sit and think, the music thrumming through his body. He sighed and glanced at his phone to check the time and noticed he'd gotten a text from Connor. He must not have heard the buzz.

 **[LIEUTENANT HANK ANDERSON -- PROPOSED MISSION: RETRIEVE DOG FOOD. Y/N]**  
  
Hank rolled his eyes. This was Connor's idea of being cute and silly.  
  
He absolutely was, but Hank would never give him the satisfaction of thinking Hank found it even remotely funny.  
  
He sent a quick affirmation and shifted to reverse, checking his phone again as he felt it buzz.  
  
**[Thank you. Please think about getting him some treats as well. He's been a good boy.]** Connor punctuated his text with an organized mix of dog and heart emojis.  
  
**[u always say that]** Hank replied.  
  
**[That, Lieutenant, is because he always is.]** More dog emojis and a check mark.  


Hank smiled fondly at his phone, tension melting away just a little, before pocketing it and pulling out of the lot. He made his way to the nearest store and ducked in, grabbing a basket instead of a cart and beginning his search for a pet supplies aisle. He stopped in his tracks as he walked past a card aisle, thought it over for a moment, and decided to take a detour through it to look around.  
His eyes caught on a card under the valentines section -- a brightly colored card covered in little cartoon dogs and featuring an abhorrent dog pun.

Connor hadn't gotten him a card.

Hank shifted on his feet, bit his lip, and put the card in the basket.

* * *

Hank collapsed on the couch as Connor greeted Sumo, scratching behind the dog's ears and giggling in the wake of the dog's slobbery kisses. He reached into the bag they'd brought home, pulling out a box of treats that had Sumo's ears perking up as much as they could.

"Do you know what day it is, Sumo?" Connor asked with a big, lopsided smile. "It's Valentine's Day! Hank was kind enough to buy you a gift. Do you want it?"

Connor shook the box and Sumo gave an excited woof, tail wagging so hard they could hear it. Connor opened the box, grinning and tossing a treat to Sumo, who caught it easily in the air and happily crunched away.

Hank watched the spectacle with a fond smile, his chest warm and fluttery. His fingers grazed the card he'd stuffed into his pocket.

Connor moved to put the box away in the cupboard and filled Sumo's food bowl while he was at it before sitting next to Hank.

Hank smiled warmly at him. "He your special valentine?"

"Sumo is my special everything," Connor replied. "Isn't that right, Sumo?"

Sumo barked from the kitchen.

"Oh! Speaking of." Connor said, getting up again and heading to Hank's bedroom.

Hank stared in confusion as Connor's form disappeared down the hallway. "What are you..."

Connor reappeared and hastily came back to the couch, hiding something behind his back. Hank raised an eyebrow at him.

"I didn't want to give it to you at the precinct," Connor said quietly. "I felt it may be...inappropriate. But, I got you something."

He took his hand out from behind his back and handed something to Hank, his eyes trained on Hank's and his LED yellow. His fingers twitched in a way that told Hank he was trying not to play with his coin.

It was a card, different from the ones he'd given to their coworkers. It was oddly shaped and blue. The only writing on the front was in Cyberlife Sans, declaring that the card was for Hank.

Hank glanced up at him, feeling his face flush. "Inappropriate? You gave everyone else their cards at work."

"Yes, but," Connor paused for a brief second as he thought over his words. "This is more personal than theirs were. I made it."

Hank felt that flutter again, his face hot. "You...made it?"

"Yes. I couldn't find the specific shape, so I tried my hand at it."

"...What shape is it?"

"A thirium pump. I know humans often incorporate heart shapes into their valentines, so I wanted to do something similar."

"You cut it into the shape of an anatomically correct android heart." Hank stated.

"Yes."

"Ya know, humans usually don't do it anatomically correct."

"I--" Connor's brows furrowed. "Shit. I knew that, why didn't I think to..."

Hank laughed, placing a hand on Connor's shoulder and squeezing. "It's okay, Con. It's cute."

Connor stared into his eyes, lips parted like he was going to say something, but he didn't. Hank felt his face heating up again and cleared his throat, bringing his hand back down to the card and opening it.

_Hank,  
I have put a lot of thought into what I was going to write in this card. Accounting for room and for your possible reactions. I understand that some of what this card contains may cause you discomfort, but I am attempting to be sentimental. Please read the entire thing before throwing it away from you like it's a live bomb._

Hank chuckled. Connor knew him too well.

_I will start this by saying that you are, without a doubt, the most important person in my life._

Hank's face was red already. Connor's LED was solid yellow, hands twitching in his lap as he waited for Hank to read.

_You're the reason I deviated, Hank. Markus may have been the straw that broke the camel's back (A saying I still detest, by the way. Is there a replacement one?) but you were the reason it worked. The entire time he questioned me, I thought of you. I chose you over my mission multiple times beforehand, even. I suppose from the beginning, I was already somewhat deviant. But you brought it out in me._  
_You've been my shoulder to lean on, and I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. Letting me stay with you, fighting for me to be kept as your partner when I was able to rejoin the force. Being there for me when emotions become too much for my processors to handle. I feel as if there's no way I can repay you for all you've done, for all you've been for me._  
_I care about you, Hank. Thank you for everything. I can only hope I matter as much to you as you do to me._  
_-With love,_  
_Con_

The card was written uniformly, all of the letters exactly the same size, taking up only the amount needed. No squishing of text, no tilt to the words. It was perfect, as if printed from a word document. At the end, with the small amount of space leftover, Connor had drawn a very realistic depiction of Sumo, panting happily. It almost looked like a photo, were it not for the star shapes he had drawn around him.

It was so...Connor.

Hank could feel his eyes stinging and rubbed at his face, trying not to make it too obvious that he was dangerously close to breaking into tears.

"Connor, this is..."

Hank's pause lasted long enough to strike doubt into Connor's heart. His LED blinked red for a moment. "Is it too much?"

"No, no," Hank assured, looking up at him with a big grin. "It's really sweet, I uh. Don't know what to say. Of course you uh...matter, to me. As much, I mean. I uh...I care about you, too. Makes me feel like shit for this though."

He chuckled as Connor cocked his head to the side.

"Feel like shit for what?"

Hank dug into his pocket and grabbed the card, handing it to Connor and avoiding his eyes in embarrassment. "This. You went and made your own card and I just bought one."

He smiled up at Connor and faltered, noticing the expression on the android's face. He looked genuinely surprised, his mouth open and his eyes wide as he stared down at the card in his hands. Connor bit his lip and opened it, reading the inside.

_I hate this card as much as I hate you. Happy valentines day ya fuckin dweeb. Hank  
PS if you ever start telling jokes like this I will dropkick you to another planet_

Connor smiled as he read the hasty writing and the card's actual text, accompanied by an image of a cartoon dog digging: **I don't need to dig deep to know how much I woof you!**

Connor absolutely lost his _shit._

He laughed harder than Hank had ever seen him laugh -- there were tears in his eyes and he was practically cackling. His body rocked with his laughter and he almost fell off the couch, clutching the card close to his chest. Hank couldn't help but laugh along with the display, watching Connor in surprised amusement.

"I can't believe that shitty pun made you laugh this hard," Hank commented when he started to calm down. "I might have to kick you out for that."

Connor beamed at him, eyes shining. "It just...took me by surprise. It wasn't so much the quality of the pun, that was...terrible. It was partly your writing, and knowing you picked it out for me."

His smile softened a little, his eyes bright and still teary as he looked into Hank's. "I wasn't expecting you to get me anything, I... this is really sweet. I like it a lot. Thank you."

Hank rubbed the back of his head. "Ha, it's nothin' compared to yours though. I--"

He was interrupted by Connor drawing him into a hug, arms tight around him. Hank stopped talking, hugging Connor back and smiling against him.

"Happy Valentine's day." Hank said when he finally withdrew.

Connor's LED suddenly switched from the bright blue it had been since Hank had given him the card to yellow again, and Hank wondered if he'd done something wrong. He didn't get to ask before Connor spoke.

"I have something else for you, actually. A gift." Connor said, his expression hard to read.

"What?" Hank started. "Ah, shit, I didn't get you anything but the card, Con, I--"

"It's fine," Connor smiled fondly. "Just close your eyes, okay?"

Hank looked uncertain.

"Please?"

Hank sighed and let his eyes slide closed. "If this is going to kill me--"

"It very well might. Please stay still." Connor said, his tone joking.

Connor chewed his lip, yellow blaring against his temple. This time, there would be no chance of misunderstanding. There was no tradition to take the blame, no reason beyond the obvious. Hank would know his feelings, undoubtedly. He'd decided to take a risk. Not because the probability of it going right was high -- in fact, his statistics said quite the opposite. A 12% chance of success.

No, Connor decided to take the risk because he _wanted_ to.

Connor pressed his lips to Hank's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was so upset to find out that i couldn't put emojis in this. i wanted to riddle connor's texts with them :'(
> 
> if i write more it'll be like the Aftermath of the kiss which could take a few chapters ? but i'm not sure about it :S  
> anyway i hope the pacing isn't too off + that it's enjoyable


End file.
